New Minimum Wage Rates for Santa Monica Employees

Effective July 1, 2018, employers in the beachside city of Santa Monica must pay employees—including temporary and part-time workers—increased minimum wage rates. For the benefit of our customers, we’ve provided information on the updated minimum wage and some details about the city’s Paid Sick Leave Law.

Santa Monica’s Minimum Wage Ordinance

The Minimum Wage Ordinance went into effect on July 1, 2016. The law applies to employees who work at least 2 hours in a particular week within the geographic limits of the City of Santa Monica.

The ordinance includes annual minimum wage increases through July 1, 2021, with different wage rates for larger and smaller businesses.

New Minimum Wage Rates for 2018

As of July 1, 2018:

  • The minimum wage rate for employers with 26 or more employees increases to $13.25 per hour
  • The minimum wage rate for employers with 25 or fewer employees increases to $12.00 per hour

Minimum Wage Violations

Under the ordinance, employees who exercise their rights to receive the City of Santa Monica’s minimum wage are protected from retaliation by their employers. As such, employees are entitled to file a civil lawsuit against an employer who:

  • Does not pay the city’s minimum wage
  • Does not comply with the law’s notice, posting, and records requirements
  • Retaliates against an employee

No Changes to Santa Monica’s Paid Sick Leave Notice

Our Santa Monica poster also includes a notice for the city’s Paid Sick Leave (PSL) Law, which is part of the Minimum Wage Ordinance. The PSL provisions, effective January 1, 2017, apply to employees who work at least 2 hours a week within the city limits and are entitled to the minimum wage.

While there are no changes to the law at this time, employers should be aware of the PSL accrual rates for 2018, outlined below.

Paid Sick Leave Accrual

As of January 1, 2018:

  • Employers with 26 or more employees must provide up to 72 hours of paid leave
  • Employers with 25 or fewer employees must provide up to 40 hours of paid leave

Based on the requirements of the law, employees who exercise their rights to receive Paid Sick Leave are protected from retaliation by their employers.

Compliance Made Easy

If you order our City/County Poster 1-Year Plan, you will automatically receive the updated Santa Monica poster as soon as it is available. And because we provide free poster updates for mandatory changes—no matter how many occur during the year—you can always count on Poster Compliance Center to keep you in compliance!